When movie buffs and television viewers either watch movies on their TVs or see Femi Adebayo in person, the cognomen that he is easily identified by is “Oga Bello’s son”. He has become so popular by that appellation that some persons do tend to forget to acknowledge the feats he has achieved in Nollywood.
He is reputed for playing comic characters in movies and being savvy and humorous in real life. But who is Femi Adebayo?
Biography
Olufemi Adebayo Lawal Salami was born on 31 December 1978 in Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria. He is the second son of a veteran Nigerian actor, Adebayo Salami, popularly known as “Oga Bello”. Although born in Lagos, Adebayo hails from Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State.
He enrolled at the C&S College, Ilorin, where he obtained his West African Senior School Certificate. He gained admission into the University of Ilorin, where he bagged a bachelor’s degree in Law. He subsequently got a master’s degree in Law from the University of Ibadan.
Femi Adebayo’s Career
Adebayo is a renowned actor and filmmaker. Interestingly, he began his movie career at just seven years old when he starred in Ogun Ajaye, a movie produced by his father in 1985. From a tender age, he followed his father to movie sets where he met some of the latter’s contemporaries such as Jide Kosoko and Idowu Phillips (a.k.a. Iya Rainbow). His engagements with such persons further spurred his passion and love for acting and the movies.
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However, due to school activities and commitments, there was a lull in Femi Adebayo’s movie appearance. He officially returned to acting when he turned 18 in 1996 as he starred in the movie: Owo Blow, directed by the veteran filmmaker, Tade Ogidan.
After he bagged his law degree, he practised as a lawyer for two years before venturing full time into acting. Adebayo is an award-winning actor whose career has stretched over 20 years. He has worked with prominent Nollywood actors and actresses during that period.
The actor also established the J-15 School of Performing Arts. As the name implies, the school tutors students who are interested in learning the craft of music, dance, and drama professionally. Femi Adebayo was also appointed the Special Adviser on Arts, Tourism and Culture to the Kwara State Governor by the former state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, in February 2016.
Movies
As earlier mentioned, Femi Adebayo has featured in over 60 movies in both the English and Yoruba genres of Nollywood. Some of the movies have gone on to become instant hits and classics, with a few of them hitting box office records.
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Below is a list of some of the movies he has featured in.
| Film Title | Year |
| Owo Blow | 1995 |
| Omo Bishop (1 &2) | 2005 |
| Osuwon Eda | 2006 |
| Òfin Mósè | 2006 |
| Elebute | 2006 |
| Idanwo | 2006 |
| Mo Nbo Wa Olorun | 2007 |
| Mayomi | 2007 |
| Jagun Aso | 2007 |
| Inu | 2007 |
| Atanpako Meta | 2008 |
| Nkan Adun | 2008 |
| Taiwo Taiwo | 2008 |
| Omo Pupa | 2008 |
| Oreke Temi | 2009 |
| Atona | 2009 |
| Iro Funfun | 2009 |
| Toromade | 2009 |
| Ija Ola (1 &2) | 2009 |
| Igbeyin Ewuro | 2009 |
| Alakada | 2009 |
| Apaadi | 2009 |
| Èbúté | 2010 |
| Ladies Gang (1 &2) | 2011 |
| Jelili | 2011 |
| Gucci Girls | 2012 |
| Ayitale | 2013 |
| October 1 | 2014 |
| Beyond Disability | 2014 |
| Ayomide | 2015 |
| Tania | 2015 |
| Anini | 2015 |
| Iman | 2016 |
| Shola Arikusa | 2017 |
| Kodi Ologbon Aye | 2017 |
| Aseyiowu | 2017 |
| Oruka | 2017 |
| Ilu Ominira | 2017 |
| Oga | 2017 |
| Heaven on My Mind | 2018 |
| The Ghost and the Tout | 2018 |
| The Island | 2018 |
| Ewude | 2018 |
| Etiko Onigedu | 2018 |
| Abamo | 2018 |
| Breadwinner | 2018 |
| Mokalik | 2019 |
| Diamonds in the Sky | 2019 |
| Jumbled | 2019 |
| Survival of Jelili | 2019 |
| Mama Drama | 2020 |
| Unroyal | 2020 |
| The Miracle Centre | 2020 |
| Cold Feet | 2020 |
| Igbako | 2020 |
| Charge and Bail | 2021 |
| Progressives Tailors’ Club | 2021 |
| Love Castle | 2021 |
| Esin | 2021 |
| Forever Mine | 2021 |
| Charlie Charlie | 2021 |
| The Cokers | 2021 |
| Alagogo Ide | 2021 |
| Jankariwo | 2021 |
| King of Thieves | 2022 |
| Ola | 2022 |
| Shekesheke | 2022 |
| Onitemi | 2022 |
Net worth
Femi Adebayo is, by media reports, estimated to be worth between $500,000 and $900,000. It is learnt that he reportedly charges between N200,000-N350,000 per appearance in movies, making him one of the highest-paid actors in the Yoruba genre of Nollywood.
Jelili, as he is also popularly known, racked up endorsement deals with various companies such as an alcohol brand, a property company, a real estate company, a pay-TV company, an advertising company, and a vehicle distribution company and a fitness company.
He is also said to have numerous landed properties in Lagos, Ibadan and Ilorin. He is also said to own several cars, including a 2014 Volkswagen Passat, a Kia Sorento, a Toyota Hilux TRD truck, a Toyota Highlander, a Toyota Venza and a Toyota Camry.
Femi Adebayo’s Family
Femi Adebayo has been married twice, and both marriages have produced four children so far.
The actor met his first wife, Khadijat, while they were at the University of Illorin in 1998. He was in 300 level, while Khadijat was in 100 level. Their relationship blossomed outside the four walls of Unilorin and led to marriage in 2004. The marriage produced three children, a set of twin boys and a girl.
But in 2008, Adebayo acknowledged that there were cracks in his marriage, noting that his wife was not in support of his acting career and she was struggling to cope with the demands of his job. They subsequently divorced.
In 2016, eight years after his first marriage crashed, the actor got married to Omotayo Adebayo. The duo currently have a son.
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